Grammy Highs and Lows

On Monday night, the 58th Grammy awards were televised and hosted by former rapper turned actor LL Cool J. As music enthusiasts, we can’t help but to sit back and see who’s to win the most prominent music awards of the year. But let’s not forget about the Grammy’s in a greater sense, it’s usually a hit or miss. From reliefs to disappointments, here are the high and lows of the 58th Grammy awards:

High: Kendrick cleans up

It was just a couple years back when Macklemore won a Grammy over Kendrick for best rap album. We were glad to see Macklemore win; however, most of us were rooting for Kendrick all along. Even Macklemore himself took to his social media, claiming that he wasn’t properly awarded over K-Dot.

Kendrick was nominated for 11 well-deserved Grammy awards and took home 5. To say the least, he earned it, and fans were sure waiting for this moment.

Low: Lauryn cancels

Lauryn Hill has to be one of the most low-key legends in the game. One project in and she captivated us. When we got word that she would be performing with The Weeknd, watchers were eager for this old school/new school collab set to hit the stage. The thing is, it never happened. The president of the Grammy Awards stated that she hadn’t “gotten back in time for the show” but word on the street is that she just wasn’t with it. Regardless, we missed out on a defying performance from this duo.

High: The Weeknd prevails

Speaking of the Weeknd, his night was instrumental. This Canadian born PR&B singer has been increasingly breaking attention and doing numbers year after year. Not only did he take home his first two Grammys, but he also had a sensational performance of “Can’t Feel My Face” and “In the Night” that provoked standing ovation from all artists in the house. Not to mention it was the perfect way to start off his birthday celebrations a day later. What better gift could he have asked for?

Low: Messed up audio, on amusicshow

Adele surprisingly failed to reach any Grammy nominations this year but that didn’t stop her from giving us a highly anticipated performance. However, her set was tainted with poor sound mixing that attempted to take away from her vocal greatness. Not only were we talking about it as viewers, but the star also took her opinions to social media. She proclaims, "It made it sound out of tune. Shit happens. Because of it though... I'm treating myself to an In N Out [Burger]. So maybe it was worth it." Thankfully she was in good spirits after it all but still, come on now..

High: Gaga does it up for legendary David Bowie

On January 10th, 2016 the music industry lost a legend, David Bowie. A tribute was the least the academy could do to pay homage, and who better to represent David Bowie than Ms. Eccentric herself, Lady Gaga. Showing up dressed like Ziggy Stardust, she meant business and did not disappoint. She captured his artistry phenomenally from visuals to vocals. Her performance and tribute truly she moved us all.

Low: Rihanna never came through, literally

Not only did Rihanna fail to perform like scheduled, she didn’t even show up. The word is that she suffered from bronchitis and was put under strict instruction from her doctor to avoid all performances. We missed out on a possible melody of hits from her latest ANTI album. We can’t help to imagine the increase in viewership a Rihanna performance would’ve brought to the program.

High: Artists take shots at streaming services

Halfway through the show, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow launched a brief testament against Spotify and other related streaming services. He publically attacked these outlets, saying “songs played on some streaming services only offer artists a penny in compensation, he said. A penny! "Isn't a song worth more than a penny?" he asked. It’s safe to say that hundreds of the country’s best artists agreed because the crowd went wild.

Low: TPAB snubbed by 1989

Alright, yes Kendrick finally got the Grammy credits he deserved but we cannot overlook the fact he missed out on one of the most important awards of the event, album of the year. At this point, we know Taylor is talented and her music has always done numbers but over Kendrick? Nah. Suddenly we are brought back to the 2014 disappointment of G.O.O.D Kid Madd City being over-looked. Right, when we thought the show was looking up, we all felt the pain of Compton MC Kendrick Lamar. At least, we can appreciate her speech..

Man oh man, did Kendrick deliver. No gas, he murdered his performance at the Grammy’s like no other artists. This was like “Formation” at the Super Bowl times 2. After just a couple of songs, he had us all chanting “King Kendrick”. No further words. To watch, follow the link embedded in the title "Kendrick's performance".